How Can I Teach Student Pilots to Give Better Informal PIREPs?

Flight instructors need to show how to move beyond ‘pretty good’ descriptions of weather.

Meg Godlewski

Wednesday, January 21, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Teach fledgling pilots to take a critical look at weather to identify risk. [Credit: FLYING Archive]

Key Takeaways:

Student pilots need to move beyond subjective weather reports like "pretty good" by learning to identify, assess, and mitigate weather risks effectively.
Instructors should utilize Chapter 7-1-7 of the Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) which defines specific categorical weather terms (LIFR, IFR, MVFR, VFR) as a fundamental teaching tool.
During flight lessons, instructors should actively point out and discuss specific sky conditions, relating them to the AIM definitions to help learners develop the mindset for giving accurate informal pilot reports.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Question: What is the best way to teach the student pilots how to give an informal pilot report beyond “pretty good”? I am a newbie instructor, and it drives me crazy when you ask them how the conditions are up there, and they say “pretty good.” That doesn’t tell us anything.

Answer: I agree with you completely. “Pretty good” is in the eye of the beholder and subjective at best.

Weather is a multifaceted subject, but for the low-time pilot, it’s a good idea to place a special emphasis on identifying potential risks, assessing those risks, and mitigation.

A good place to start is with your own learners and Chapter 7 of the Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) where, under “Safety of Flight,” you can find comprehensive information about weather and the definitions of IFR, VFR, etc.

READ MORE: Don’t Limit Your Training: FAA’s Stance on Flight School DPEs

Specifically, under 7-1-7 you will find categorical terms for Low IFR, IFR, Marginal VFR, and VFR.

They are defined as follows:

• LIFR (Low IFR): Ceiling less than 500 feet and/or visibility less than 1 mile.

• IFR: Ceiling 500 to less than 1,000 feet and/or visibility 1 mile to less than 3 miles.

• MVFR (Marginal VFR): Ceiling 1,000 to 3,000 feet and/or visibility 3-5 miles inclusive.

• VFR: Ceiling greater than 3,000 feet and visibility greater than 5 miles; includes sky clear.

Savvy instructors print this information and post it near the weather computer at the flight school or over their desk. In addition, many flight schools incorporate this guidance into theirs or the FBO’s published weather minima for renter pilots flying solo, student pilots building their hours, and dual instructional flights.

During flight lessons with the learner, note the sky conditions important to pilots—scattered clouds at a particular altitude, overcast layers, fog forming, lenticulars over the mountains, haze, etc. Point these out to the learner. You might say, “There is a layer of fog forming southwest of the airport, and there is a scattered layer at approximately 2,300 feet. If the clouds get any lower and the fog increases, we should start back.” Note how quickly the weather can change. It may not be precise, but it will get the learners into the mindset of how to give an informal PIREP.

The AIM also contains information on what is expected in an official PIREP filed with ATC. Trying to incorporate this into a flight lesson so the learner gets more experience identifying weather and knowing what to be looking for when it comes to safety of flight.

Ask us anything you’ve ever wanted to know about aviation. Our experts in general aviation, flight training, aircraft, avionics, and more may attempt to answer in a future article. Email your questions here.